Pages

Pages

{Review} Say You’ll Remember Me by Katie McGarry

November 30, 2018

“I understand trying to please someone you think loves you. To keep that love, you keep twisting and bending yourself to become who they want you to be until you eventually break. There’s a hole in them, a hole they need filled, and they want you to become the circle that will fit into them to make them complete, even though you’re a square. It’s an awful place to be, the person responsible for someone else’s happiness, because being human, we’re going to fail.And by being human, we’ll take the lashing when we never meet expectations.” – Say You’ll Remember Me, Katie McGarry

I loved Say You’ll Remember Me so much! Easily one of my favorite reads this year! I read it in a little over two days, and I would have read it in one if I hadn’t stopped and willed myself to savor every page! It was over before I knew it. I wish there were a sequel, perhaps even a prequel, or at least an extra two hundred or so pages I could stick into the back of the book to keep Drix and Elle’s story going! Why must good things always come to an end?

I enjoy seeing books with families who stick together through everything, in spite of everything, and the Pierce family was just that. Drix struggled to be what a brother and friend should be, battling his issues and either overcoming them or learning from them. Axle strived to give the best he could to his younger siblings. And Holiday was the strong little sister who was stubborn and never backed down (seriously, I kept thinking “though she be but little, she is fierce” should be her motto throughout the entire book). They were perfect in the fact that they were imperfect, and I loved that.

Drix and Elle and all the other characters felt so real – I found myself wishing I could live in this book and celebrate my own birthday with them, and bake a sheet cake with Holiday and, well, I save that part of the book for you to read. Drix’s and Elle’s birthday celebration was one of my favorite scenes! I laughed so hard and wanted to disappear into the pages and join in the family fun! Nearly every character was relatable in some form, flawed yet loveable.

And then there was the romance. The tension, the heartbreak, the secrets, the fact that this wasn’t some cheap insta love story – it was so good!

The message in this book was very important: everyone deserves a second chance at life, and everyone needs a path, a guide, a friend to help make that chance count. Apologies don’t erase what happened, but they still mean something. Forgiveness can be slow, and that’s alright. Say You’ll Remember Me was so true to life, so well-researched, so heartfelt. And though the message was clear, it was not so pressed that it was shoved down your throat which, to me, is the mark of a good story.

There is a playlist, too, in the back of the book, and I was happily surprised to see some familiar Christian songs in the list. It was unexpected, something I don’t often see, but pleasantly accepted nonetheless. All the songs seemed to fit very well with the story too. When I do a reread (when not if, because this book certainly deserves a reread!), I’m going to read along with the playlist.

The one thing about this book that I didn’t quite get was the title: Say You’ll Remember Me. Perhaps I missed something, but it didn’t seem to fit perfectly with the book. It sort of fit in some parts of the book when I think about it, but as a whole, it wasn’t quite obvious how the title fit. Still, with a beautiful cover and story like this, a title shouldn’t matter too much.

I hope Katie McGarry writes more books like this one in the future – I will definitely auto buy!

***

My rating: 5 stars

Mild cussing throughout, violence, some innuendos, etc…I’d recommend this book for 16+

Have you read Say You’ll Remember Me by Katie McGarry? What were your thoughts on the book? Tell me in the comments below!